Can't Help It
by Amazing TEEN Authoress
Summary: Tori Evans can't help the fact that not only is she a superhuman, but also a warrior. On a hike in the forest, she discovers, though she doesn't know it when it happens, that she can turn into a cat. Eventually she learns to control her power. But what happens when she discovers that she's a nine-lived warrior and part of a very important prophecy?
1. Chapter 1

I slipped on my hiking boots and headed out to the Mitchells' van. Oh, before we get too far, my name is Tori Evans, and I should probably explain something to you.

I am a superhuman.

Now, don't back away when you hear that. It's not what you think. I said super_human_, not super_hero_. I don't consider myself a superhero, not in the slightest. The government is always convincing me to get in the superhero gig, like the comic books. Like SHIELD did with Captain America. But I'm not falling for it. I just want to have a normal life, not a superhuman life.

"Hurry, Tori, let's go!" called Hanni Mitchell, my best friend. "We'll leave without you!" I sprinted down the stairs and jumped into the van. "Boy, I didn't think you were going to make it!"

"Shut up." I elbowed Hanni. "Are we going to the usual trail?"

"Of course," said Avery, Hanni's mother.

The drive was mostly silent after that. The car pulled up to the trail that we usually took when hiking and started out on it.

"Hurry, or I'll beat you to the Tree Ring!" I called.

There's a magnificent ring of trees in this forest. Hanni and I gave it a simple name, the Tree Ring. It consists of four trees, with a giant rock in the middle. It's awesome.

"Can't catch me!" I taunted her.

I started to feel smaller. And fluffy. It was a weird sensation. I shrunk smaller and smaller, until I was below the bushes. I heard... whose voice was that? I didn't know whose it was. And then I lost myself entirely to my new mind. I didn't remember a thing.

* * *

"Great StarClan, Rosepaw, what's all this noise?" demanded a light ginger she-cat. "Anyone would think you got attacked by a giant fox!"

"No, I was hunting," Rosepaw assured her sister. "Where's Lilypaw?"

"Off doing her own hunting," said the ginger she-cat.

"Didn't you keep an eye on her, Sandpaw?" Rosepaw asked.

"She doesn't need keeping an eye on," said Sandpaw. "If I were a fox, I'd be scared to meet her."

"True," Rosepaw agreed. "I think I smelled Twolegs on our territory."

"Twolegs!" Sandpaw exclaimed. "Here? Where?"

"They were yowling," said Rosepaw. "I think they lost someone, or were lost. But I really don't know. Twolegs are mouse-brained."

"Indeed," said Sandpaw. "Come on, let's go find Lilypaw before a fox really does get her."

The two sisters raced off to find the third that was supposed to be with them. The yowls of Twolegs filled their ears. They really were upset. Rosepaw shivered. She'd hate to be a Twoleg.

"I had the weirdest dream last night," she said to her sister. "I dreamed I was a Twoleg."

"Great StarClan, that is weird," said Sandpaw. "Who'd want to be one?"

"Not me, that's for sure," said Rosepaw. "You're sure Lilypaw is over here?"

"I'm positive," said Sandpaw. "I can scent her already." Sure enough, the strong, fresh scent of Lilypaw filled the air. "There." The ginger-and-white she-cat was prowling through the trees. "Lilypaw!"

A mouse scampered away from nearby. "Thanks a lot, Sandpaw, I was hunting that!" Lilypaw exclaimed. "I promised Halftail I'd bring him back a nice, juicy mouse, and that was it. Now you'll have to explain to him why I don't have one." She gave her tail an irritable flick.

"Okay, sorry!" Sandpaw snapped. "Rosepaw can find one. Can't you, Rosepaw?"

"Sure I can!" Rosepaw exclaimed. "Just tell Redtail where I am when he gets back, will you?"

"Of course," said Sandpaw.

Lilypaw and Sandpaw headed back to camp. "You still have to explain to Halftail why he doesn't have his mouse yet," Lilypaw snapped at her. Sandpaw snapped something back.

Rosepaw bounded away. As she did so, she felt herself growing taller. She felt thin. It was strange. And then she lost all sense of being a cat. Of being Rosepaw.

* * *

"Tori!" yelled Hanni. "Tori, where are you?"

I opened my eyes. What had happened? I felt as though something important had just gone down, but I couldn't remember anything. I only remembered getting here, and that was it.

"You disappeared!" Avery exclaimed. "What happened to you?"

I was dazed. I really didn't remember. "I don't know," I said. "I remember getting here, and everything after that is just a big, black pit. I don't remember anything else."

"Well, that's not important," said Avery. She kissed the top of my head. "You're safe now. Come on, let's go. It's not a good day to be hiking if you keep getting lost."

"No, wait, I want to come back," I said. "Could I camp out, maybe near the river? Hanni can come with me. She'll make sure I don't stray away. Won't you?" I gave my best friend a sharp look.

"I sure as hell will," said Hanni. "Let's get a tent and come back."

I was, the whole time, focused on trying to remember what had happened, but I couldn't. It was impossible. Maybe the same thing would happen again, when I came back. I'd try to make it happen. And I would remember. I knew something had happened, but I didn't know what.

I sure as hell wanted to.


	2. Chapter 2

I returned to the location twenty minutes later with Hanni. She had our tent, and I had the supplies. We set up shop (to use the metaphor) and looked around. It was a great spot. The rocks were warm and sunny, and there was a great place for swimming here. Or, at least, in the summer. I could swim if I wanted, as the cold did not bother me. But I wanted the trip to be fair to Hanni, so I didn't swim.

"Hey, I'm going to go find some firewood," I said. "I'll be right back."

"I'll be watching you," Hanni warned me.

I headed off into the forest. I knew a great place to find firewood. I felt someone watching me, and knew Hanni was upholding her promise to keep an eye on me.

I felt myself shrinking. I struggled to keep my mind, to keep a grip on who I was. But I once again lost myself to a mind I didn't know about.

* * *

Rosepaw dug up the mouse and squirrel she'd caught and carried them back to camp. Sandpaw and Lilypaw were sitting there with looks of horror on their faces. Ravenpaw was shaking as he talked to Bluestar.

"What's going on?" Rosepaw demanded, but she knew what it was. The battle patrol that had gone to Sunningrocks had returned, and it brought bad news.

"Redtail is dead!" Ravenpaw gasped.

Rosepaw's jaw dropped. Redtail, dead?

Tigerclaw followed Ravenpaw into camp. "It's true," he said. "I found him being savaged by Oakheart. I was able to kill Oakheart in vengeance."

"No." At the tortoiseshell-and-white apprentice's whisper, Lilypaw padded over from her sitting place and rubbed her muzzle against her sister's. "It can't be."

"It's true," said Lilypaw, sounding just as upset as Rosepaw.

Rosepaw stood up and turned to leave. "Wait!" Lilypaw yelped, but she didn't manage to catch her sister before she raced out of the camp.

_No no no no no_... how could this happen? Redtail was dead... killed by Oakheart. His fellow deputy... why?

Rosepaw shivered. Her eyes started to close. Maybe she'd sleep outside for awhile. She closed her eyes, and suddenly realized that she wouldn't be herself for much longer.

* * *

"Tori! Tori, come on, get the firewood, I'm starving!" Hanni called. "I want some hot dogs!" She said the words _hot dogs_ with a Western accent.

"Hanni, I think I did it again," I said.

"Did what?" asked Hanni, confused.

"What I did last time, when I went missing," I explained. "I was _so close_ to finding out what it was! I'm sure I'll know next time."

"Why do you want to know?" Hanni asked. "Come on, let's roast some hot dogs!" She put a Western accent on the end of the sentence again. She always said the words "hot dogs" like that.

Hanni and I gathered some firewood and took it back to our makeshift camp. We lit a fire and started to roast some hot dogs.

"Dessert?" Hanni asked once we'd had a few hot dogs. "I brought stuff for s'mores."

"Sounds good," I said.

I melted the chocolate and got out the graham crackers. I roasted a marshmallow and spread the chocolate over the graham crackers. I put the marshmallow on top of the chocolate and placed the other graham cracker on top of the marshmallow. I passed the s'more to Hanni.

"Yum," said Hanni, her mouth full of a mixture of cracker, melted chocolate, and marshmallow.

I made one for myself. "Delicious," I sighed, biting into the s'more. "Got any good ghost stories?"

"No," Hanni said. "Who wants 'em? They're too spooky, and I hate spooky. You know that."

I rolled my eyes. "I know."

"I wonder what happened to you," Hanni commented.

"I don't know," I said. "But I hope I find out."

"I'm sure you will," said Hanni.


End file.
